Summer is the season that breaks working parents
Every June, the school year ends, and the framework that kept us afloat all year vanishes. If you’re lucky, your child is in camp. If you’re very lucky, camp goes past 3 p.m. And if you’re really lucky, it doesn’t cost as much as a mortgage payment. A time that signifies fun and freedom for our kids is a three-month scheduling nightmare for adults. And the strange part is everyone knows it’s coming, yet many workplaces expect parents to function as though nothing in their daily life has changed. After talking to dozens of parents about this, coupled with my own experience, I realize that summer doesn’t just make parenting harder. It exposes how much modern work life depends on schools functioning as our most reliable childcare. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/Girl-Li.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/souter.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/erickasouter.substack.com\/subscribe","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457710,"imageMobileId":91457711,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} At their limit Many working parents are already at their limit. They’re managing jobs, homework, doctors’ appointments, sick days, sports schedules, dinner, and emotional meltdowns (the kids’ and their own). Then school ends and summer logistics are anxiety-inducing: What do I do with them all day? Are there any affordable sitters? Who has camp this we